EARLY TALENT AT SAP - FEARGHAL

SUPPORT ENGINEER | SAP PRIMARY SUPPORT

Hi, my name is Fearghal! I work as a Support Engineer in SAP Primary Support in Dublin, Ireland, and I joined SAP a little under a year ago. I had, at the time, just moved home to Ireland from the US, where I did my master’s degree, and SAP was recommended to me as a great place to work. Having studied Engineering in my undergraduate degree, I knew that Primary Support would be a great fit for me.

In my daily role, I provide technical support to customers based mainly in the US who use SAP Business Suite Software. My specialty is Project Systems, which is SAP’s Project Management Software. A typical problem I encounter could be where a customer’s system crashes when using a particular program, or when a monthly report is showing wrong numbers. I work remotely with customers by email, phone, and directly on their systems, so I never have to leave the office!

One of the things I also find exciting about my job is the opportunity to get involved in many different projects. I co-founded an Innovation Pilot Project for my team (encouraging colleagues to think creatively and innovatively about everything they do), I am now a Communication Champion in Primary Support (acting as a roving reporter for all my colleagues in Ireland), and recently I led a project to create and co-facilitate a Design Thinking workshop to help improve Employee Engagement in our organization. This workshop was the first time I had led a project of such scale and being able to really listen to people’s advice was essential! The results of the workshop have since been shared with management and are being used to develop actions and initiatives for 2013.

In joining SAP, I knew I was coming to a company that provided a great environment for both employees and customers. I am passionate about helping people work together better, and SAP is the perfect place for that, as I get to work with great people every day!

SAP EXTREME VOLUNTEER - JESSICA

Bridging Worlds

by Rayna Topalska, SAP

When she is not leading a marketing campaign for SAP in Indonesia, Jessica Violetta Schwarze can be found teaching English to street children under a bridge in Jakarta. 

 

Jessica has always been concerned looking at poor people in the streets, especially children. “I want to help street children and to bring hope into their lives,” says Jessica. In March 2011 she joined Sahabat Anak (Friends of Children) organization. It is a non-profit organization that provides quality education and children’s rights advocacy in an effort to encourage and inspire Jakarta’s street children to escape urban poverty. Jessica volunteers as an English teacher and once a month teaches street children. The lessons take place not in a classroom but under a bridge in the city. Despite the harsh conditions, she enjoys her volunteer work a lot. “We place a simple mat for the children to sit on and to listen and learn. It is very dusty and dirty, hot and humid; but the experience is worthwhile,” explains Jessica.

Children are all the same

Jessica´s class comprises of about 20
children from 9 to 12 years old. She finds it very easy to work with them. “I used to teach children professionally before and I think that children are the same everywhere regardless of economic level,” she says. Despite their adverse conditions, the children in Jessica`s class laugh a lot, love games and sweets, and enjoy making faces.
Jessica hopes that by teaching practical English, these children will eventually have an opportunity to get a better job. “It is amazing to see how smart some of them are, and how some have such eagerness to learn,” says Jessica. However, she is not only a teacher; she is a friend of the children. The connection between them is very strong. Most of the children have no home, no family, and feel alone. They crave for affection and usually after the first few minutes of teaching, some of the kids rest their head on Jessica’s lap, put their arm around her or play with her hair.

“On Sunday, the minute I arrive under the bridge, some of the children will shout my name in delight and run as fast as they can to my car, impatiently waiting for me to get out so they can hug me. The feeling is truly rewarding, it’s hard to describe in words. I love them very much,” relates Jessica. She tries to be an example for the small children and encourages them that if they work hard they will fulfill their dreams.

Positive attitude

The volunteer work gives Jessica a balance in her life. Being involved and meeting the children has enabled her to live with gratitude every day. She has learned to be more respectful and to appreciate everything she has. “In day-to-day work, it is normal that I encounter challenges and problems, and conflicts can also occur. When faced with difficult situations, sometimes I get emotional and my stress level peaks. At such times, I find a quiet place and remind myself how pale and trivial these problems actually are in comparison to what the street children have to face every day,” explains Jessica. She approaches problems, conflicts, and challenges more positively, which helps her to perform better at her job by having a clearer mind and a better perspective.

Make the world run better

At SAP, Jessica leads the marketing department of the company in Indonesia. Since the country is one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia, Jessica has a busy day. However, her work and volunteer activities complement each other perfectly. In helping the street children under the bridge, Jessica has also built her own bridge to SAP’s mission statement: Make the World Run Better. “In some way or another, by doing a good marketing job and promoting SAP in Indonesia, I take part in helping local organizations be more efficient and globally competitive. This creates a positive impact to the economy, will create jobs, and down the trail it may impact the street children too. This motivates me greatly,” explains Jessica.

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT - MOHAMMED AL NAJJAR

One-Man Show in Baghdad

Mohammed Al Najjar is determined to make SAP a household name in Iraq, and is moving the needle through his own social and cultural engagement.

By Paul Baur

Mohammed starts by telling the story about how Iraqi consumers have embraced new brands in post-war Iraq. Ford was among the first to introduce minibuses to the country, so now everyone refers to minibuses as “Fords.” Consumers buying any kind of detergent always ask the store clerk for “Tide.” Mohammed’s vision for business software is similar: Whenever a CIO needs a solution, he should say “Give me a SAP.”

Turning this vision into reality means long days for Mohammed Al Najjar, senior executive for SAP in Iraq. “It is me, my bag, my laptop, and my beliefs,” he quips. Mohammed is the only SAP employee in a country of close to 30 million people served by an IT infrastructure frozen in the 1970s. Mohammed seems to be up to the challenge: With over three decades experience managing and implementing innovative solutions to business problems using the latest business software , he has completed projects for entities such as the Iraqi Ministry of Industry and Ministry of Telecommunication, as well as a host of private sector enterprises. Mohammed managed to close two large opportunities with very strategic accounts in the first year of SAP’s presence in Iraq.

A personal and professional mission

The conditions under which SAP’s only man in Iraq lives and works are daunting. Travel within Iraq is risky and time consuming, electricity and Internet connectivity are intermittent, and the climate is intensely hot – with summer temperatures reaching 55 degrees Celsius (130 Fahrenheit). Ravaged by neglect and war, Iraq’s IT infrastructure can only be described as Stone Age.
And then there are the bomb attacks. To maintain close contact with the people, he has made a personal decision not to travel in organized convoys or with hired security personnel. But he still takes precautions to reduce the possibility of getting in harm’s way.
Most westerners would throw up their hands and take a different assignment – any assignment. Not Mohammed. Because he doesn’t consider it an assignment; for him, it’s more of a personal and professional mission. Mohammed is first a teacher, friend, and consultant to the Iraqi people – being an SAP employee comes after that.

 “SAP is credible, mature, and keeps its promises”

Mohammed Al Najjar was born in Iraq but left the country as a young man, more than 30 years ago. He has since earned degrees at universities in Europe, accumulated significant work experience in IT, and after gaining success, has returned to Iraq to contribute to its growth. Other IT companies would have liked to employ him in Iraq, but he was convinced by SAP. “I joined SAP because it is credible, mature, and it keeps its promises. SAP also cares, and that goes very far with the customer,” he finds.
“There is a philanthropic side of me, and with the opportunities I had in life, I thought it time to go back and share this experience with youngsters, give them a new dimension of thinking, and help them have better options in life.” By Mohammed’s calculations, roughly 2%, or about 600,000 of Iraqis need training to support the IT infrastructure enhancements that the country might need in the future. He is doing what he can, from whitepapers to workshops to shaping college education.
The natural-born teacher believes in the inherent nature of the Iraqi people to learn and innovate, based in part on their cultural heritage: “Talent is abundant in Iraq, evidenced by four major civilizations in Mesopotamia (the current Iraq) that made significant advances, including the invention of the wheel and the first set of written laws known to humankind.”
Mohammed has developed a training system to expose Iraqis to Western ideas (the right ones, he jokes). The program is called 3-in-1, and trains Iraqis in Western marketing ideas over a period of six days. He works together with widows and orphan organizations, as well as the College of Sciences for Women at Baghdad University. “I believe that IT is a job that suits women, because it has the least risk,” explains Mohammed. “The program is headed by a very open minded dean whom I work very closely with projects on human development.”
Initiatives like the SAP University Alliance have the potential to boost local knowledge and stoke vocational skill sets. The alliance provides university faculties with the tools and resources needed to teach students how technology can help enable integrated business processes and strategic thinking, giving them the opportunity to gain valuable skills with the potential to add immediate value to the Iraqi IT sector.

 “A demo can change a life”

Mohammed is convinced that the best way to initiate business in Iraq is through social or cultural engagement. “SAP can play a phenomenal role in helping Iraq develop a vibrant IT industry,” he exclaims. “With every presentation or demo, I feel that I change somebody’s life.” But can a demo really change a life? “In Iraq it can,” claims Mohammed. In the meantime, he has gained quite a reputation in Iraq as a software evangelist. So much so, that Iraqi TV is planning to give him five minutes per day on the show “Good Morning Iraq” to talk about technology.
This is a great source of motivation for the man who left his home country in his youth, only to return to rebuild society. “Because every time someone comes to me and asks how he or she can make more of their skills, I realize I have achieved a major part of my role,” Mohammed explains. “I don’t perceive what I am doing as a job. The kick I am getting out of this job is seeing the value I bring to young Iraqis.”

“We are the founding fathers of technology”

In the context of his work for SAP in Iraq, Mohammed doesn’t feel comfortable with the term “customer,” perhaps because the relationships he has built go deeper. “My customers and market are still in their infancy,” he explains, “so most of my time is spent as relationship builder, business developer, cultural moderator, translator, and much of my work involves helping Iraq to understand SAP and SAP understand Iraq.” Mohammed is excited at the prospects for SAP in Iraq: “We are at a junction in time where we can really make a difference for SAP and for Iraq. We are the pioneers; we are the founding fathers of a new era of technology,” he points out.
“The government is the main driver of the economy, with essentially two places of focus: managing current operations and infrastructure changes,” explained Mohammed. “We expect this to continue until the private sector is able to develop itself.” Because of the push to make up for lost time and catch up with other markets, the proportion of IT spending is higher than in other countries – with oil revenues financing it. In 2012, the government budget was €110 billion, of which 7% went towards ICT infrastructure.

Rapid deployment solutions a winner

SAP Rapid Deployment Solutions are integral to the overall business strategy for accelerating the adoption of advanced IT within Iraq. These are expertly designed business packages that include both the specialized business software and the IT consulting services to install it into the business operation. The packages span business and financial management, sales and customer service, through supply chain management.”
“With Iraq in this phase of reconstruction, rapid-deployment solutions provide Iraqi organizations with the message of ‘low risk’ with its quick guaranteed timeline, low cost, and world’s best practices deployed with proven methodology,” Mohammed said. “They are a huge winner, because people are eager to move into the 21st century and they don’t have 2-3 years to implement,” he confirms. “It’s like delivering the world’s best practices on a silver platter.”

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

JOHANN - USER EXPERIENCE RESEARCH

"Hi! I am Johann, currently working as a User Experience Researcher in our SAP headquarters in Newtown Square, PA.  User Experience at SAP has many angles but my work is mostly focused internally: developing new ways to understand our internal processes, tools and strategies and envisioning new ways to support and enhance the ways our SAP employees want to work. 

User Experience and, more recently, Design Thinking, are very powerful approaches to connect with how people feel, think and interact, exploring innovation (technology-based or not) and making sure that it all makes business sense.  The best part is that you get to work with very smart and diverse teams that include people with backgrounds in anthropology, psychology, art, interaction design, architecture, business and many other fields.  My own education shows a bit of that mix:  I started as an undergrad in Systems Engineering with some explorations in Linguistics & Language Education, went to a very unique Master’s program that combined Computer Science with the Science of Creative Intelligence (more about that some other day!) and then, finally did my PhD in Human-Computer Interaction.  Although getting as much knowledge as you can is great, nothing beats working with a diverse team of smart people… and SAP is full of them! 

On the personal side, I love to travel (and to think like a traveler!): my grandparents emigrated from Germany and started a new life in Colombia (South America, where I was born and raised) and I would like to think that I have inherited that desire to see and experience different ways of thinking and living."